Okay, I’ll admit I was always a bit uncomfortable whenever Cousin Geri would show up at Leland Girls School on the TV series The Facts of Life. Her character was the cousin of teen socialite Blair Warner. Geri looked different and acted different because she had cerebral palsy…for real. But I can’t help but admire the producers of the show for bringing this disease into the public eye and at the same time give a chance to a talented comedienne with an alarming disability.
Geri was played by Geri Jewell and she made twelve memorable appearances on the show. She also had a short nine-episode stint on The Young & The Restless, and most recently had starred in a couple dozen episodes of the HBO series Deadwood.
But perhaps most importantly she is now in huge demand as a motivational speaker for many businesses whom she assists in analyzing and understanding disabilities and diversity.
I met Geri Jewell at the Hollywood Collectors Show in BurbankĀ on Saturday, October 4, 2008. She was selling her signed photos for $20 and was kind enough to pose for a photo with me. Oddly, she was also selling t-shirts with the same slogan as seen in the photo below. She was a very nice lady, but I honestly think that it was an odd selection of shirts to sell. After all, who could wear it without being offensive??
Parenthetically, I saw Geri not long afterward at the Hollywood Collectors Show in Chicago on March 21, 2009. Although I had already gotten her autograph and a photo with her, I regretted afterward that I didn’t stop by her table to say hello.
Celebrities from the 2008 Hollywood Collectors Show will continue…
She is, indeed, a lovely person. I chatted with her for about 15 minutes at the Chicago Show. She told me that she is currently trying to put together a one-woman act that will combine her motivational skills and her stand-up comedy. I wish her much success in this endeavor.
We also chatted about the sudden demise of ‘Deadwood’…one of the best programs in television’s history…so say I. She said that most of the cast felt as cheated as the fans obviously did, when the sudden cancellation was anounced by HBO and that it felt like a job unfinished.
I never mentioned ‘The Facts of Life’…for that would have made me uncomfortable. That program is one of those things that I hate to admit that I watched and enjoyed. I keep that fact hidden at the back with my John Denver and ABBA musical appreciation!
Dave Chasteen
April 8th, 2009
Come on, Dave. Man up and add Barry Manilow and Christopher Cross to that guilty pleasure list! š
Aaron
April 8th, 2009
Hey…I’ve got to draw a line somewhere!
Is Christopher Cross really in that league?
What am I sayin’?!?!
Dave Chasteen
April 8th, 2009